From the Light
by Noizless
Summary: School was boring. Work was boring. Life...was boring. I made it through each grueling day by escaping the only way I knew: video games.What was I to do when the unexpected happened: the characters escaped their own game. [TEMPORARY HIATUS]
1. Belle

[01] Belle

School was boring. Work was boring. Middle-of-Nowhere Arkansas was boring. Life was boring. I lived alone, finally a scholarship-paid college kid and able to support myself with an entry-level job at a local restaurant. I had thought this would be escape enough, but it had quickly proved not. Fortunately, I was able to continue my well-proved escape I had picked up years ago from such a mundane way through books, video games, and my own creative outlets.

It was on a particularly uneventful day, I had piles of homework that my procrastination told me would be ok to do at 1 am. TV on, system on, game on. Starset blaring at the maximum volume I could without my neighbors calling the cops on me, I fought countless enemies in one of my many gaming lives.

I began to notice the light outside my window quickly diminishing. A glance to the clock on my wall stated it was only a little after 4, but even if it had been later, the sun wouldn't set this quickly. Pausing my tedious level grinding (that I would still do rather than that Biology assignment), I stood and pushed the sheer curtain covering the lone window to the side. At first, I was confused. It was completely dark, like a midnight without even the stars or city lights. Then the realization that this black was too black kicked in.

The great blackness swirled, seeming to turn as a pair of glowing orbs came into the frame of the window. I felt as if it was gazing straight into me, and a fear unlike any other rose up. A scream stuck in my throat, refusing to come forth, as I retreated from the window, stumbling over my forgotten stack of textbooks. I fell, the books fell, something on the shelf I grasped for fell. I barely registered the sound of shattering glass, barely registered the hand with such nothingness rolling off it in waves reaching through to me. My life was flashing before my eyes, or something similar to that. I was sure this was my end, I didn't even have time to be disappointed how pitiful and anticlimactic my death would be. I squeezed my eyes shut, curling up and trying to disappear as my world turned so cold.

Then suddenly it was warm again. I could feel the light from the afternoon sun pouring through the window. Slowly opening my eyes and lowering my arms from my head, I expected to see the sun, but I still saw a shadow obstructing the light from filling the room. Any hope I had that I was saved quickly drained and I covered my head yet again. The glass that crunched as the shadow stepped into my room seemed louder than anything, making me realize my previously blaring radio now sat silently, probably on the floor in pieces. Footfalls echoed through the room, amplified and slowed by my fear.

After what seemed like forever, all noise stopped, and I knew this time, this time, I was a goner.

"Hey, are you alright?"

My body jolted. A voice was the last thing I was expecting, even less, one asking about my wellbeing. I cautiously uncurled from my fetal position, laying slightly angled on my side and looking up to the silhouette framed by the window's light. This darkness didn't seem to have any ill-intent, but my brain was slowly regaining its logic.

"This is...is the second floor..." I muttered out, stuttering from a shakiness I just realized was running through me. The shadow chuckled, putting a hand on its hip.

"That's not what I asked, but thank you anyway." The shadow crouched down beside me, allowing light to spill through and finally reveal a pair of piercing cyan eyes that I had only ever dreamed of seeing for real. My mind fuzzed up again, too hazy and confused to even form thoughts. "Can you stand?"

My head nodded of its own accord while my mind was still stuck on those eyes. He offered a hand to me, which I hesitated to take not out of fear, but out of wonder for if this were really real. When I finally grasped his hand, he pulled me up, holding onto me as I regained my balance.

"Hey, Riku! What's taking so long?" The window darkened for a third time that day as someone else appeared in my second story window. He stepped into the room, glass crunching as he made his way over to me and the boy I still couldn't believe was Riku. The new entrant stopped, and I was in even more disbelief about this series of events.

"I was making sure she was alive." Riku turned to Sora, crossing his arms over his chest. "It would be bad if anyone in this world died, right?"

"Of course it would be! Good job, Riku!" Sora smiled, clapping the taller boy on his shoulder in a congratulatory manner. He then turned to me, smiling widely, hands folded behind his head. "Glad you're alright. I'm Sora and this is Riku." He went to motion to the other boy, but Riku had already disappeared, presumably through the window in which he entered. "Hey! Riku, wait!" Sora ran to the window, only turning back to quickly wave. "Bye! Stay safe!" And with that, the blue-eyed boy vanished as well.

I was dumbfounded, absolutely baffled. I slowly sunk to my knees, still not sure about everything that had just happened. I looked at the clear evidence of the somewhat chaos that had ensued. A loud rapping on the door of my apartment roused me from my tangled thoughts.

"Coming!" I shouted as the knocking persisted, impatiently getting louder. I jumped from my crouched position, rushing quickly to the door and opening it, nearly getting a fist to the face from a very angry Mr. Rodgers.

"What the hell was that racket, you miscreant! I can't hear my damned TV over you up here breaking shit!" Such colourful language from a guy as old as Mr. Rodgers always amused me.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was doing dishes and accidentally dropped a plate." A terrible lie that my near-death neighbor easily picked up on, but nonetheless kept me from having to explain the unbelievable truth.

"Goddammit, Belle. Learn to make up a better fib the next time you throw a fucking party. Damn kids these days." And with that, he left, me praying every step that he'll fall down the stairs. I disappointedly shut the door as I heard him safely reach the last step and go back into his own apartment.

"Well, I guess I should start clean up now..." A sigh escaped as I thought of all the work I had to do...on top of that biology assignment due tomorrow.

 **-x-**

 **Erk. This was a weird idea I had. I may not continue this cuz I feel like I'd be torturing anyone who reads it.**


	2. Chi

[02] Chi

 _2 am, where do I begin?_

I was only half awake, that state where I was aware of the world around me but still within the realm of sleep.

 _Crying off my face again._

A very weird lintel to be laying in.

 _Silent sounds of-_

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

I groaned,

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Turned over,

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Pulled my pillow over my head,

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

And finally hurled the phone-turned-alarm across the room.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sighing heavily but effectively roused from dreamland, I reluctantly sat up. The throwing of the innocent device turned out to be worse than if I had just silenced the thing. It continued it's tirade of beeps as I stood before stretching, the satisfying POP of my tired joints helping to wake me further.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-

Finally silencing the infernal noise, I allowed my soft music to resume. After lightly setting the phone back on my desk, a sort of apology for launching it across the room so early in the morning, I looked around my room to survey the remaining damage. I left the window as it was, open and allowing a cooling breeze in. The window glass had been swept up, broken radio bits swept up, as well as a lamp that I had knocked over last night while cleaning was swept up, all into a triple bagged garbage bag that I was still worried would rip and cut the poor garbage man's hands.

Not letting yesterday's unrealistic events disrupt my daily routine, I went straight to my kitchen to start my first cup of coffee for the day. Textbooks, notebooks, and stray papers littered my small table, left out from my rush to finish my assignments at 2 am and then not even remotely put away due to my exhausted state. As my coffee brewed, I began said clean up, sliding my necessary books and notebooks into the messenger bag that had been lying discarded in a chair.

After sampling my coffee-flavoured sugar-milk, I made my way back to the bedroom to finish preparing for the day. The September humidity of central Arkansas called for nothing more than a pair of black shorts and one of my favourite fandom tanks, also black. With my purple dyed hair tied back, flip-flops in need of replacing on feet, coffee in hand, and bag tossed over shoulder, I head for class.

-+-X-+-

Back-to-back art classes over, I was done for the morning. And before I headed to my lone afternoon class and work study, it was time for lunch. I took a not-frequently-travelled route to my favourite on-campus site, which was, believe it or not, a coffee and bagel cafe. I slipped in my world-blocking earbuds and pressed the button that was second best at helping me escape the cramped reality of college life.

 _You make me feel invincible, earthquake powerful, just like a tidal wave..._

Lip syncing along to my newest obsession, I made my way to the hazelnut vanilla coffee calling my name in the distance. I hadn't thought about the events from last night all of today, probably thanks to my packed schedule of art, art, art history, and some more art thrown in. But now my mind had time to wander.

 _You're my titanium, fight song, raise it up..._

I just didn't wonder what I should be wondering. And that in itself made me wonder if this was really real or not. I knew logic in dreams was kind of thrown out the window, which would be the logical explanation of why I wasn't freaked out (as much as I should be) that characters from my favourite video game were walking around my world right now.

Last night had to have been an exhaustion-induced dream. The window broke from a freakishly strong wind. The giant Heartless was just a dark storm cloud passing by. I freaked out, bumped into the radio, and promptly fell unconscious and dreamed up the appearance of the two fictional boys. Then I awoke when my frail old neighbor nearly broke down the door.

 _Who can stop me tonight? I'm hard wired!_

In my distracted state, I managed to trip on a crack in the sidewalk, which wasn't all that unusual for me, actually. I stumbled without falling, but still held out my hand to catch my balance. And as if the world was trying to spite me, I stared down at a pair of familiar, oversized shoes. I blinked, disbelief clear and thoughts muddled. I slowly looked up, not quite ready to see that my dream wasn't just a dream.

I first met teal-green eyes, staring hard with furrowed brows in a look of annoyance. I looked to the side, blue eyes in a stark contrast of an expression. Possibly-real Sora seemed to be trying to say something, but the music blasting into both my eardrums rendered me unable to understand. Probably-real Riku crossed his arms, his sudden impatience very apparent. I pulled my earbuds out, immediately bombarded with conversation.

"Hey, do you remember us from last night? We fought that Heartless that attacked you and really messed up your room. I'm glad to see you're alright. I never thought we'd meet again! Is this a school in this world? Do you-" Sora's barrage was cut off by a friendly shout.

"Belle~!" A high-pitched female voice called, its short owner trotting down the road toward us. My first thought was that I need to hide the boys standing before me. Then I realized, if this was just more hallucinations, it wouldn't matter. I turned, a half-forced smile emerging on my face.

"Ashley, hey!" I greeted, feigning cheeriness as I internally freaked out about my overactive imagination. My short friend, Ashley, reached where I stood, panting for breath as if she had just sprinted across the campus. Once she recovered enough breath, she punched my arm.

"You were going to go to lunch without me again, weren't you!" The small girl shouted accusingly while I rubbed my arm.

"No..." I laughed nervously, I really was about to go to lunch alone, something that had been a usual thing for me before.

"Belle, you can't do that anymore! You have me now!" The small girl pouted, crossing her arms to show her disappointment in my introverted ways.

"Your name is Belle? I know a Belle! She's from another world, though." Sora chimed in, causing a sinking in my stomach and an audible smack much like that of a facepalm. Ashley leaned around me to look at the two boys still standing behind me, affirming my fear that I wasn't just imagining right now and last night.

"Who are they?"

 **-+-X-+-**

 **Song Lyric Credit (in order of usage): The Lonely - Christina Perri; Feel** **Invincible - Skillet**

 **Chapter 2 here by popular demand! Sorry for the wait! ^^;;;**

 **(I honestly really have no idea where this is going to go. Let's adventure together, shall we?)**


	3. Hiatus Notice Bonus

**Important Update!**

As of now until further notice, this story ("From the Light") will be on temporary hiatus. I am going to be focusing on another of my fanfictions (a Kingdom Hearts one called "Lightening", please go support it). For more details, please go see my profile.

I apologize if this gets your hopes up about a chapter update, but since I'm not supposed to dedicate an entire chapter to an author's note, I will include a short (and I mean short) side-story. Thank you for your understanding and patience!

-Noizless

 **. . .**

"Belle, Belle! What's this?" Sora insistently called my name, waving around a small black object. I sighed, looking up from my manga and pulling one of the earbuds from my ears. He held the object out, but barely holding it still as he bounced with excitement.

"It's a phone," I simply replied, moving to reinsert my earbud and resume reading. Riku was staring intensely at a copy of the manga based on his own game, but discreetly glanced over with interest to the foreign object. Sora stared down at the phone in amazement.

"What's it do?" The brown-haired boy questioned next. Foreseeing a long Q&A session ahead, I removed the other earbud and set down my book. The other teen continued his facade of disinterest.

"It lets you contact people far away, it takes pictures, you can browse the internet, play games...lots of things." Giving a brief overview of the device was easy enough, but if you come from a world void of such technology, it would be hard to understand. "It's similar to a computer, but smaller," I added, remembering that at least those were canon in their universe. Sora made an 'oh I get it now' face.

 **. . .**

Later that day, I came across several dozen unfocused and dark images in my phone's gallery, but many with clear blurs of blue, brown, and silver.


End file.
